Home Tour 2014 (Blog Hop)

I have such mixed feelings about saying good-bye to our Scottsdale house. As of right now, Max has been working in Alabama for almost four months. That's four months of me living as a single-parent in the house while we try to sell it. On one hand, I miss Max like crazy and want my family to be back together. I wish the house was sold and that Parker and I were already in Alabama with Max (especially on days like yesterday when Parker is teething and not napping, and I'm hit with a stomach bug, ugh). Then I get that little whisper of house-love in the back of my head. The pang of nostalgia. I desperately want the house to sell, but it's going to hurt just a little. This was our first home. We bought it as newlyweds, a ginormous southwestern on a huge lot that needed love and updating. We tackled so many DIY projects here, our "hobby" during our first years of marriage. It's the only home Parker has ever known; it's where we rocked him, read to him, and fed him in a high chair for the first time. He took his first steps in this house. He sniffed the orange blossoms in the spring as a newborn, and again as a one-year-old walker, and it's hard to imagine that we won't be eating those oranges come winter. I don't want to forget a single square inch of our Wrangler house, our first home. So to celebrate it and our four-and-a-half years in the house, I'm inviting you on a tour! Come on on...

Walking through the front door you enter our great room. We switched out the light pergo floor for this distressed black walnut wood, and also swapped the turquoise sponge painted light fixture for a crystal chandelier. This room was completely empty for some years, and we are still missing a rug for the dining table!



A closer look at our formal sitting room which we furnished right before putting our house on the market, a "staging" if you will. Most of my memories are of this room being bare naked, however I'm in love with the new chairs and it's been my favorite place to read this summer!

Opposite is our formal dining room.

This is the current view of the great room from the staircase, complete with Parker's new teepee from his Grandpa & Nana!

Walking further into the house, you pass under the catwalk. The den is on the right (it also used to boast sponge painted turquoise light fixture goodness).


Alternate view of the den, with view of the theatre on the top left, catwalk on the top right, and built-in aquarium on the bottom right. Max took that space from a wet bar to an aquarium, pretty much entirely on his own. Also, that banister used to be whitewashed pink wood! Gigi and Max did a ton of work to get it looking the way it is now! See where the den started here, yikes!


The kitchen sits opposite the den. I had big plans for the kitchen. I wanted the same dark hardwoods we put in the rest of the house, white cabinets, white subway tile backsplash, and white and gray marble counters... unfortunately we didn't get to any of this (but maybe the next owners will!).

There's a lot of space to work with in the kitchen, and the breakfast nook looks out on the backyard (I also looooved being able to cook and do dishes while looking out at the pool and yard). 

We usually have our family calendar up on the bulletin board. 

The door between the den and kitchen opens up to the yard. 

I will miss our .84 acres!

Back inside, we have a powder bath on the first floor (those stripes and that art were all me!).

You'll also find our super cute laundry room. The crystal chandelier was an accident - we purchased it for the front entryway and it was too small, so we put it here. Now, I can never have a laundry room without a chandelier!

Finally, you will make it to our mater bedroom. Parker slept here in his cradle for the first six months of his life!

Wedding photo collection *heart*

And then the master bath.

Heading upstairs, we have three rooms clustered together with this bathroom in the middle.

To the right is my craft room/extra guest room. It has a great view of the Pinnacle Peak desert mountain area. 

 If I had it my way, I'd have a chalkboard in every room.

The craft room also has two big bookcases that hold all my old favorites.

 Parker's room is to the left of the bathroom. It's bright and happy, just like I imagined it.

Again, we love our chalkboards and love our books!

I always have something cute and seasonal on Parker's chalkboard. I usually look here for inspiration and then freehand something similar.

Parker loves looking at the canvas of himself as a baby, and always wants his numbers recited. 

The guest bedroom is across from the bathroom. It houses my old bachelorette cottage furniture, plus Parker's old cradle (until we figure out what to do with it). 

Across the catwalk upstairs is Max's "wing" of the house. He has his own bathroom and a ginormous office (we laid that hardwood ourselves!). "Office" is a euphemism. This is his lab. And if you can believe it, this was after he cleared a bunch of stuff out. To his credit, this room is what allows him to rig ridiculous things for the house. He made it so we could use our iPhones to turn off an on lights, view our security cameras, play house music and turn the pool fountain and lights on. Seriously, all that from our phones. Plus, I can give him just about any broken item or gadget and he can fix it no problem. I've become ridiculously spoiled (and I also have a warped perception now of what's "normal").


Our "theatre" is also located upstairs - there's seating for thirteen! We hosted Superbowl here two years ago when the 49ers played. Max installed the projector in the ceiling himself, and the picture is fantastic. We spent many a night here watching larger-than-life movies play out on the wall.


I hope you enjoyed touring our first home! We will probably never again have saguaros in our yard - living in the desert was certainly an adventure!

Thank you to Ashley at Life on the Parsons Farm for nominating me for a house tour!! I loved her tour and cute house details like the year decals on her interior doors!

Watch for tours from these fabulous ladies next week. Let the blog hopping continue!

First, there's Mandy over at Mandy Living Life. An Arizona native, she blogs about life, travel, and her quest to visit every MLB ballpark in the U.S.

Then there's Christina at Keeping Up With The Patricios. She's a California girl with two adorable kiddos, and writes about crafting, cooking, decorating, and holidays. 

Finally, follow Camille! A mamma-to-be living in California's Bay Area (be still me heart, I miss you, Bay Area!), Camille writes all about being married and preggers at Meet the M's. 

I can't wait to tour the houses that belong to these sweet bloggers!